Waterproofing Boots and Shoes for April Showers!

Waterproofing your leather boots, shoes, bags, canvas tents and other

 sturdy canvas things...is really easy!

 And perfect for preparing for Summer camping ahead!

This technique works great for canvas shoes like Toms too!

You need:

• Paraffin wax 
• pan of water
• foil
• mason jar (or old glass jar on it's way to recycling)
• A "throw away later" working surface...we used a box.
• Old paintbrush (as this will ruin your brush forever)
• Heat gun or blow dryer

 

 Put the paraffin wax in the mason jar.  

 (Paraffin is Super cheap and found in grocery stores usually in the baking need aisle...I know it's weird...right around the chocolate chips!)

Wrap the jar with foil.

put the jar in the pan of water...and boil.  Essentially a double boiler.

 When the wax is melted, just paint the wax right onto your shoes.

It goes on pretty rough...but no worries. 

 Paint all the surface that you want waterproofed.
This is the same technique for waterproofing a bag or a tent!

 Next get your blow dryer or heat gun.
We tried both.  Both work.  The heat gun works way faster.
You start by heating up all the places you waxed...

Almost instantly the wax melts and begins to smooth out.
It also changes the color of the boot...
which is PERFECT to see where you still need to melt.

During this melting, the wax doesn't spread to places you didn't brush it on.

Use caution, heat guns can melt plastic and rubber pretty fast!

Once you've melted the wax, let them dry completely.

At least overnight!

 You will see slight color variation from when you started.  They do darken slightly.
See the boot on the right versus the left.
Which to me, just kind of freshens them up!

Then you are set for camping, hiking, and just plain enjoying the rain!

Linking up to THESE parties this week!